Refugees to protest at Israeli embassies worldwide

African asylum seekers in Canada, Australia and the European Union to show solidarity Wednesday with migrants’ struggle

Hundreds of female African asylum seekers and their children participate in a protest march towards the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on January 15, 2014, calling on the Israeli government to grant them asylum and work rights. (photo credit: Matanya Tausig/Flash90)

An estimated 20,000 rallied in Tel Aviv, 10,000 protested outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, and 150 migrants began an open-ended hunger strike.

On Monday, the NRG website quoted one of the refugee protest leaders in Israel as saying the idea to hold demonstrations around the world came up after asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan living in Western countries contacted their brethren in Israel.

“They asked us what they can do, and we thought that demonstrations around the world, to raise awareness of our protest and situation, could help,” the protest leader said.

Last Wednesday, representatives of the African asylum seekers participated in a meeting of the Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers. The migrants, a week earlier, were prevented by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein from entering the parliament for meetings with MKs. The committee’s discussion centered around the Immigration and Border Authority policy toward asylum seekers and its impact on the business sector.